Trail for gun carriages



Nov. 13 1923. 1,473,628

B. P. JOYCE TRAIL FOR GUN CARRIAGES Filed Sept. 6, 1923 Patented Nov.13, 1923.

UNITED .ST

BRYAN IP. JOYCE,-OF DAVENPORT, IOWA.

TRAIL FOR GUN CARRIAGES.

Application filed September 6, 1923. Serial No. 661,265.

@FILED UNDER THE ACT F MARCH 3, 1883, 22 STAT. L., 625.)

To ctZZvwZtom t may concern.' 'Y Y Be it known that I, BRYAN P. JOYCE, acitizen of the United States, and a resident ofD-avenport, county ofScott, and State of Iowa, have invented an Improvement in Trails for GunCarriages, of which the following is a specification.

The invention described herein may be used by the Government, or any ofits lo oliicers or employees in prosecution of work for the Government,or by any other person in the United States, without payment to me ofany royalty thereon, in accordance with the act of March 3, 1883. Y

The present invention relates to trails for gun carriages provided withdetachable spades.

In certain types of gun carriages it has been found advisable to providethe trail with a spade which in transport is detached from the trail sothat the trail may be readily locked upon the limber.

The primary object of my invention then is to provide means fordetachably locking the spade to the trail.

` Another object is the provision of means which in use is readilyadapted at will to lock either the spade in position on the trail or thetrail in position on the limber.

With the foregoing and other objects in view my invention resides in thenovel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details ofconstruction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood thatchanges in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed maybe made within the scope of what is claimed Without departing from thespirit of the invention.

Other and further objects of this invention will be obvious as theinvention proceeds.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in vertical section through the trail showing in sideelevation the locking means therefor; and

Fig. 2 is a view in transverse section through the locking means.

Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference:

I have shown a trail A having a chamber or recess 1 provided withvertical walls 2 and an upper wall 3. At the lower ends of the verticalwalls are formed ledges or projections l for a purpose hereinafter to bedescribed. The same type of locking means is employed in locking thetrail either to the spade or to the limber. In the preferred embodimentof my invention I have shown the spade or limber B provided with alocking member C which is attached to the spade or limber by means ofbolts or rivets and which passes up into the chamber vor recess in thetrail to lock the trail on the spade or limber.

This locking member C is provided with side walls 5 and a topwall 6.Slidably mounted between the side Walls 5 and guided thereby are a pairof plates 7 and 8 provided with slots 9 and 10. Rotatably mounted in thespade or limber and passing through these slots 9 and 10 and acorresponding slot 11 provided in the upper wall of the chamber 1 of thetrail is a lock actuating member 12. A bearing 13 for the actuatingmember is screw threaded as at 14 in the top of the locking member C.

The plates 7 and 8 are provided at their outer ends with beveledportions 15 and 16 cooperating with correspondingly beveled portions onthe projections or lugs 4l. At their inner ends the plates 7 and 8 arerabbeted so as to overlap. The actuating member 12 intermediate its endsand at the point where it passes through the slots 9 vand 10 is providedwith oppositely faced cams movable in said slots and operating toreciprocate the slides 7 and 8. By turning the actuating member throughan angle of 180O it is obvious that the slides may be moved to orretracted from locking position with the projections or ledges 4 so asto firmly lock the trail upon the spade or limber or to release thesame.

Any suitable locking means may be provided in order to secure theactuating member and consequently the slides in either locked orunlocked position. I have found in practice that the locking meansdescribed hereinafter is suitable for this purpose, though it is obviousthat any other known type of locking means might as readily be employed.

At the point where the actuating member passes through the opening 1l inthe upper wall 3 of the chamber l of the trail it is provided with aserrated collar 20. Mounted upon the upper Wall ot the chamber l and atone side of the opening il is a housing 2l in which is mounted forreciprocable movementI a plunger' 22 having a head 23 to engage theserrations inthe collar 20l o"r` the actuatingV member. A spring 2stmounted in the housing 2l presses at opposite ends against the head 23and a nut 25 seresv threaded in, the housing 2i. so 'to constantly urgethe plunger Q2 into locking engagement with the collar 20. lr' desired,the plunger may be provided with a mit 26 for convenience in withdrawingthe plunger 'from its locking position. i

Inasmuch as considerable effort maj7 be required to move the cams of theactuating member from locked to unlocked position it has been foundexpedient in practice to provide the actuating member With some meanssuch as the hexagonal head Q7 for assisting in turning the cams. AWrench or like instrument may be used with said head.

While l have shown the chamber l provided with ledges or projectionsl itis obvious that suitable recesses or other means may be employed tocooperate with the beveled edges of the plates 7 and 8, Without changeol function.

In order to provide for the transmission of the horizontal component ofthe liring load from the trail to the spade the vertical face of the'front ledge or projection QS abuts against the front edge 29 oiA thelocking member C.

It is apparent that the looking member described is capable of useeither for attaching the spade to the trail or when the spade has beendetached from the trail for attachmg the trail to the limber intraveling position of the gun.

I claim:

l. A gun trail provided with a recess forming a chamber, a lockingmember projecting into said chamber, plates slidably mounted on saidlocking member, slots in said plates and an actuating member passingthrough said slots and provided with oppositely directed cams adapted tooperate therein, projections on the side Walls of said chamber adaptedto cooperate with said plates, serrations on said actuating member and aspring pressed plunger mounted on said trail and provided with a headadapted A to cooperate With'said serrations to lock said actuatingmemberin any adjusted position,

27A gun trail provided With a recess forming a chamber, a locking memberprojecting into said chamber, plates slidably mounted on said lockingmember, slots in said plates, an actuating member passing kthrough saidslots and'provided With opadapted to'actuate said plates for recip-vrocable movement and means on said trail adapted to cooperateA With saidplates to lock the trail in position.

4. A gun trail provided With a recess forming a chamber, a lockingmember projecting into said chamber, slides on said locking member,cammeans adapted to actuate said slides for reciprocable movement andmeans on the side Walls ot said chamber adapted to cooperate With saidslides for loc-king the trail in position.

5. A gun trail provided With a recess forming a chamber, a lookingmember projecting into said recess, slideson said locking member,projections on the vinner Walls of said chamber, means on said slides tokcooperate with said4 projections and'means to actuate said slides,forreciprocable movement.

6. A gun trail provided With a recess, a

locking member projecting into said recess, V

slides on said locking member, means-on said trail adapted to cooperatelwith said slides for locking the locking member to said trail and meansto actuate said slides for reciprocable movement.

BRYAN P. JOYCE.

